Killed and maimed [video]: victims of Brenase shooting incident share their pain a year after the incident

It was a Friday on April 30, 2021, and the people of Brenase in the Ofoase Ayirebi Constituency in the Eastern Region went about their usual lives like everyone. What would happen next shocked the town and a year after the incident, many wounds are unhealed, those healed, the scars remain scary and a memory of the entire experience remains nightmarish. What actually happened and how have the people involved gotten on since? My Active My Area visited the community and has come out with the details.

Our team caught up with Matthew Kwadwo Adagba, the assemblyman for Akyem Brenase Electoral Area of the Akyemansa District in the Eastern Region and he recounted the incidents of April 30, 2021.

“It is about a year ago, on April 30 2021, it was somewhere in the morning getting to the afternoon and all the men were out to look for work to do. It was around 3:30 pm when I got a call that where was, that police came around and were shooting and some of my boys were shot and one was even killed. I rushed and came and when I arrived I saw the people moving towards the hospital so I followed them there and saw that four people were lying on the floor with blood coming out. I asked questions but no one could give me the details of what happened.

“I went to the police station to ask the commander what happened. I went with a motor rider and when we got there we saw that the police were standing around on guard. The first Policeman I met was Owusu. I greeted him and asked if the commander was around and he said not so I asked I I could get someone to speak to and he said no. So when I turned to go away that a police officer called me and said we should come.

According to Mr Adagba, when he moved to the front of the office to stand, he saw them beating his motor rider and taking him behind the counter. I got there and was also asked to go behind the counter. He didn’t resist but went and sat down as directed. He said, “The police officer [Owusu] I met first came and knocked me in the head with his hand. He then took a cane and started beating me with it and I asked him why he was beating me. It was then that one of his[police officer’s] colleagues asked him[Owusu] to stop what he was doing”.

Several other people came from his community to the police station but when they get there they usually do not get anyone to speak to. The Commander came around 6 pm and headed for his office. He also tried to follow in to see the commander but was prevented by the officers. The officers then took turns to go in and see the commander themselves.

The DCE for the area came in later and went to the Commander’s office and about 15 minutes later he[Assemblyman] was called in and told I have been granted bail so I asked what I did. It was then the DEC told him that he is alleged to have assisted others to block a road in the community and that resulted in the shooting.

He told them claims that there was a roadblock and shooting, he cannot talk about that but that he assisted in blocking the road, that is not true because when the incident happened he wasn’t there and was only called on the phone to come after it has occurred so he didn’t assist anyone to block the road. So whether someone used a cutlass and the police fired shots, he can’t say much because he wasn’t around.

According to him, he was asked to go and calm the people agitating outside after the DCE said it was him [Assemblyman] who could calm them down. And he[Assemblyman] went and calmed the boys down as requested.

He then decided to enquire further to know what caused the incident and that was when he got to know that an incident happened the day before at Ofoase. One of the boys from Brenase and another boy had a misunderstanding. So they arrested one of my boys, detained him before granting him bail.

What the victims said

A mother to one of the victims who lost his life, Adwoa Afrah, said someone came to tell her that there were gunshots and her son, Emmanuel was shot with others. The others all got up but Emmanuel couldn’t get up. According to her, Emmanuel only told the police to stop the shooting because there is an old woman in the nearby house and someone too had just delivered. So after pleading with the to stop and then turned to leave, that was when he was shot. He cried out that the man has killed him. He then turned to see who fired the shot and another shot was fired at his chest.

The man left behind two children who are now being taken care of by the grandmother. The children have stopped schooling and the grandmother sells anything she can harvest from the farms to take care of them as well as the occasional benevolence of others. At the time they stopped school, one was in class six and the other in class four. Her hope is that the children will be able to continue their education.

Her pain is just as fresh a year after the incident as if it was yesterday and she could not help but cry out her heart throughout the interview. No help has come from any source and the person responsible for her and her grandchildren’s predicament is a freeman.

Yaw Akowuah, an indigene of the area whose wife had died earlier on that day also had his son shot. It was his son, the third of his children was running errands that day for them before he sought permission to excuse himself for sometime. According to him, he was informed that Emma was dead so he run off to the place and saw the four victims lying on the floor with blood. He was terrified by then incident that the didn’t know when the victims were conveyed ti the hospital.

The bullet penetrated through is buttocks and the bullet was removed at the hospital at Abirem. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Minister of Information and Member of Parliament for the area gave him GHS400.00 through the DCE for them to use as transport to Accra. They stayed there for two weeks and could not have the surgery to rehabilitate his son. They didn’t meet their MP who promised to support them have the surgery. Mr Akowuah said he confronted the doctor and the doctor told him Nkrumah has not called him to do any surgery.

However, the MP called through someone to apologize and said he was not in the country at the time there were in Ghana. According to him, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said he wasn’t aware that they were coming. He still pledged to help but even as at now all calls to him have gone unanswered. The surgery would cost GHS30,000.00 and the MP promised them through Mr. Akowuah’s brother that he will cover the cost. As at the time of filing this report, the surgery has not been done. The child cannot walk and basically incapacitated. He had completed Junior High School but have not proceeded to Senior High School yet.

Achaw Prince, another of the victims who survived but a bullet through his manhood also shares his story. He was at home and heard the voices outside, he went over to see what was happening and he realized they were shooting guns at the place when he got there. So he turned to run away before he heard a gun sound and the bullet run through him. He called a little girl who was passing by and that prompted people that he was in the place so they came for him. He said his pennis is working normal after the incident. Mr Achaw could not confirm if the shooting at him was a targetted one or accidental. He mentioned the policeman behind the shooting as Lavester but could not give full details.

Frimpong Obeng Williams from Akyem Ofoase at the Akyemansa District capital. He was coming from Kotokoum and upon reaching Brenase town, he saw the police and the Brenase people on the road so he could not pass. So he parked the motor and got down and immediately heard a gunshot. He saw something[blood] coming from his left leg and he was surprised because he has not had any encounter with anyone and also not even from the community.

From the stories told by the people, many lives have been thrown into disarray as a result of the incident on April 30, 2021. Who caused it and who pays for the pains the many people are suffering now are unanswered questions. Many of them need help just to enable them continue with their lives. Dreams have been altered and many many not be realized if no help come to their aid. But who and where will the help come from? Each of the people need some help to survive and it is us and you who can help. Here is our bit to reach out you with this story, What will you do to help the victims of April 20, 2021 in the Brenase community? Reach out to us using the numbers in the video below and offer you support in whatever form you have for the victims.

But as we seek help for them, we continue to ask, are the people we pay to safeguard us actually do so and when they go beyond the line who ensures they pay for their crimes? Who watches the watchman or he is his own boss?

Watch the full interview below.

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